Inside Look: HONOLULU Family Fun Run

Inside Look: Honolulu Family Fun Run

As parents, we spend most of our week running around. Grab breakfast, dash to school, to work, race against the clock there, try to beat traffic back to school for pick up, then run to sports, music and dance lessons. Finally, we rush home to speed through homework and dinner preps before bedtime. Phew.

Here’s a fun way to dash around with the kids. This year, HONOLULU Family is offering its first ever Fun Run and Keiki Dash, presented by Kaiser Permanente, on August 5 around the grounds of Honolulu Hale. The 500-meter dash for kids 10 years and younger and 3K run for everyone is being organized by the parent team of HONOLULU Family, so you can expect a few touches to make the event fun for the entire family.

Here is the inside scoop on the special things you'll find at our fun run.

Be ready to cheer. My first family run was when Cassera was 4 years old. It was a bit hectic. Because the 5K was first, my husband had to stay behind with her at the keiki activities while I took on the course by myself. Some kids who walked or ran the adult course with their parents first were too tired to take on the smaller course. We have the kiddies running first so you can start the morning cheering them on and, if they tire out for the big course, they’ve already earned their medal. Every child in the keiki dash can proudly wear their award home.

Get a little later start. Dragging the reluctant kids out of bed every morning for school is a part of the weekday routine, so waking them up even earlier for a fun run can be challenge. Our keiki dash starts at 8:30 a.m. So, let them sleep in, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Don’t worry about parking, there are plenty of free spaces in the municipal lot under the Honolulu Civic Grounds.

Plan to run together. Just one registration fee gets the child a spot in both the Keiki Dash and the 3K run. Little ones can ride in a stroller with the family after the dash so no one has to be left behind. Our slightly shorter 3K adult route, just a little less than two miles, will also make it easier for younger walkers/racers to finish both runs.

Be ready to stop. Little ones sometimes need a little motivation to go the distance. So we’ve designed our course with several fun stop points, which will also give little legs some added rest time. Sponsor Kaiser Permanente will have a fit stop with activities and information to keep everyone active. Pause to pick up a snack from Le Jardin Academy and HONOLULU Family, TruMoo Chocolate Milk and beverages from KonaRed.

Snap some photos. HONOLULU Family will also have a few photo op stops for you to document your day together. Elsa, Ariel and Spiderman will start the day by warming up the kids. Snap a photo with them then take selfies or have a volunteer take a family portrait and post it with the hashtag #HFFunRun for a chance to win prizes including cooking and craft sets, gift certificates to places including Dave & Buster’s and new books from the HONOLULU Family library.

Tired? Don’t be afraid to take an escape route. Yes, sometimes even the most motivated keiki get just too weary to walk. Our route goes all around the grounds of Honolulu Hale and just two blocks up to BIshop Street, which means if the kids poop out half way through, you aren’t stranded miles away from the fun at the start/end point. If something comes up, for most of the route you can walk off the path to rest on the grass.

Plan to stick around after the run, and bring a tote bag and a hair brush. The HONOLULU Family Fun Run, presented by Kaiser Permanente, is the kickoff for the Best of Honolulu Festival, presented by American Savings Bank. So, right after you finish the course you’ll be just a few steps away from free keiki activities, tasty food booths and local craft booths. The festival will also be the first 2018 HONOLULU Family Cover Kids search events. So, you might want to stop by the car (thankfully, it’ll be close by!) to pick up a tote bag for all your buys, and a brush, so you can touch up your child’s hair before he or she takes a photo with our professional photographer, Karen DB. Last year, one child from our Best of Honolulu festival entry event became a cover kid (Natsumi is on the cover of our summer issue) so it definitely could happen for you. Can’t make it? We do have three other free entry events scheduled in August at Koko Marina Center, Kapolei Commons and Honolulu Federal Credit Union. Watch for those details on honolulufamily.com later this month.

The HONOLULU Family Fun Run is Aug. 5, 2017 at the Honolulu Hale Civic Grounds. The Keiki Dash begins at 8:30 a.m. with the 3K to follow. Register on active.com.